jack-in-the-pulpit

noun

jack-in-the-pul·​pit ˌjak-ən-t͟hə-ˈpu̇l-ˌpit How to pronounce jack-in-the-pulpit (audio)
-pət
also -ˈpəl-
plural jack-in-the-pulpits also jacks-in-the-pulpit
: a North American spring-flowering woodland herb (Arisaema triphyllum synonym A. atrorubens) of the arum family having an upright club-shaped spadix arched over by a green and purple spathe

Illustration of jack-in-the-pulpit

Illustration of jack-in-the-pulpit

Examples of jack-in-the-pulpit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In his obituary and appreciation of the artist, published a day after her death on March 6, 1986, Milwaukee Journal art critic James Auer reported that one of O'Keeffe's local art teachers taught her to look closely at a jack-in-the-pulpit. — Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 29 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1837, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jack-in-the-pulpit was in 1837

Rhymes for jack-in-the-pulpit

See All Rhymes for jack-in-the-pulpit

Browse Nearby Words

Jack-in-the-Green
jack-in-the-pulpit
jack into
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jack-in-the-pulpit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jack-in-the-pulpit. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

jack-in-the-pulpit

noun
jack-in-the-pul·​pit
ˌjak-ən-t͟hə-ˈpu̇l-ˌpit
plural jack-in-the-pulpits also jacks-in-the-pulpit
: a North American spring-flowering herb that grows in moist shady places and bears an upright club-shaped flower cluster over which arches a green and purple bract like a hood

More from Merriam-Webster on jack-in-the-pulpit

Nglish: Translation of jack-in-the-pulpit for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about jack-in-the-pulpit

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All